Device for practicing breath control

ABSTRACT

A device enabling an individual to practice breath control. A container which has a transparent wall accommodates in its interior a light-weight article such as a ball which can be raised by currents of air blown into the container. The air can discharge out of the container through an opening with which a second opening of a selected size can be placed in registry, so that by selecting an opening of a suitable size to be placed in registry with the first opening it is possible to control the resistance to discharge of air out of the container, thus enabling the operator to practice breath control.

United States Patent Hanson [54] DEVICE FOR PRACTICING BREATH CONTROL [72] Inventor: Harold E. Hanson, New York, NY.

[73] Assignee: Lourie Visual Etudes, Inc.

[22] Filed: Aug. 17, 1970 [21] App1.No.: 64,452

[ 51 Oct. 3, 1972 3,087,278 4/1963 Waggle, Jr ..46/44 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 480,053 4/1953 Italy ..46/44 Primary Examiner-Anton O. Oechsle Assistant Examiner-Richard J. Apley Attorney-Blum, Moscovitz, Friedman & Kaplan [5 7] ABSTRACT A device enabling an individual to practice breath control. A container which has a transparent wall accommodates in its interior a light-weight article such as a ball which can be raised by currents of air blown I into the container. The air can discharge out of the container through an opening with which a second opening of a selected size can be placed in registry, so that by selecting an opening of a suitable size to be placed in registry with the first opening it is possible to control the resistance to discharge of air out of the container, thus enabling the operator to practice breath control.

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DEVICE FOR PRACTICING BREATH CONTROL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to devices, used for medical, educational, or entertainment purposes, in order to practice breath control.

Devices of this general type may include, for example, a container into which the operator will blow in order to raise a light-weight article which is in the container. The theory is that with devices of this general type it is possible to exercise the lungs. However, with conventional devices of this type it is not possible to regulate the operation so as to achieve a precise control which is adapted to a specific purpose. For example, in addition to medical considerations and entertainment considerations, the operator may wish to practice breath control in order to play a musical instrument such as any of the wind instruments. Also, instead of concentrating on lungs, it may be desirable to concentrate on exercising the diaphragm. The presently known devices of this general type cannot be adapted for these specialized purposes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Itis accordingly a primary object of the present invention to provide a device for enabling an individual to practice breath control, while at the same time also enabling the operator to achieve a specific type of exer cise designed to fulfill a specific purpose.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a device of this general type with the possibility of being adjusted so that it can be adapted to achievement of a specific purpose.

Furthermore, it is object of the invention to provide a device of this type which is relatively simple and inexpensive while at the same time being quickly and precisely adjustable.

Also, it is an object of the invention to provide a device of this type which is suitable not only for medical and entertainment purposes but which also can be designed to give the operator a particular facility with respect to a particular musical instrument.

According to the invention the device includes a container which has a transparent wall through which the interior of the container is visible. Within the container is a light-weight article adapted to be raised by upwardly flowing currents. An inlet means is accessible to the operator and communicates with the interior of the container so that the operator can blow into the container through this inlet means, thus providing the upward currents which will raise the light-weight article. A discharge means provides communication between the interior and exterior of the container for discharging out of the container fluid blown into the latter by the operator. An adjustable resistance means coacts with the discharge means for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container, so that through this adjustable means it is possible to adapt the container to achieve a highly specialized result when the operator practices with the device of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS The invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing which part of this application and in which:

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the device 10 of the present invention includes a container 12 which has a transparent wall 14. This transparent wall 14 is in the form of a hollow cylinder which may be made of any suitable transparent, clear plastic or glass. The container includes a bottom wall 16 which extends across and closes the bottom end of the wall 14, and the container also includes a top wall 18 which forms an upper end wall of the container 12.

Within the container is a light-weight article 20 which is adapted to be raised by upwardly flowing currents. This light-weight article in the illustrated example takes the form of a light-weight ball which may be a ping-pong ball, for example. During operation this light-weight article can be raised from the lower solidline position indicated in FIG. 2 to the upper dot-dash line position indicated in FIG. 2.

The bottom wall 16 carries an upwardly directed pin 22 which extends into the interior of the container along the central axis thereof, and it will be noted that this pin 22 prevents the article 20 from engaging the bottom wall 16 so that currents of air blown into the container can have access to the underside of the article 20 in order to raise the latter.

An inlet means 24 is accessible to the operator so that the operator can blow into the container through this inlet means. In the illustrated example the inlet means 24 takes the form of an elongated tubular extension 26 which extends from a central region of the plate 18 and terminates in an open end at the center of the plate 18 and communicating with the interior of the container 12. At its outer end the tubular extension 26 carries a removable mouthpiece 28. This mouthpiece 28 may have a configuration simulating that of the mouthpiece of a musical instrument. Thus it is possible for the mouthpiece 28 to be removed and replaced by another mouthpiece of a different configuration sim ulating the mouthpiece of a different musical instrument, thus enabling the operator to practice operation of a musical instrument with the breath control devic of the invention.

While the tubular extension 26 is shown as being integral with the plate 18 it may of course be a separate tube placed over a central tubular extension of the plate 18. Thus it is clear that with the inlet means 24 the operator can blow downwardly into the container for providing at the bottom wall upwardly directed cur rents which will raise the article 20 in the manner indicated in FIG. 2.

A discharge means is provided for discharging fluid from the interior to the exterior of the container, and this discharge means includes the plate or end wall 18, and in particular a portion thereof which is formed with the discharge opening 30. It will be noted that the end wall of plate 18 has at its periphery a flange 32 which is joined with the top of the wall 14, surrounding the top end of the latter. This flange 32 may be fixed to the wall 14 as by the use of any suitable glue or the like, and of course the bottom wall 16 can be fixed to the bottom end of the wall 14 in a similar manner.

An adjustable resistance means 34 is provided for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container. This adjustable resistance means includes a rotary plate 36 formed with a series of openings 38a-38f. These openings, which may have suitable graduations situated in their vicinity, as shown in FIG. 3, are arranged along a circle whose center is in the central axis of the plate 18. The openings 38a-38f are situated from this axis by the same radial distance as the opening 30. The tubular part of inlet means 24 which is directly next to the plate 18 extends through a central opening of the plate 36, so that this plate 36 can turn about the part of the tubular inlet means 24 which is directly next to the plate 18. In this way it is possible for the operator to locate a selected one of the openings 38a-38fin registry with the opening 30.

A collar 40 is situated about the portion of tubular inlet means 24 which is just above the plate 36, and an index rod or pin 42 extends through the collar 40 and across the interior of the tubular inlet means 24, in the manner indicated most clearly in FIG. 2. Thus the index pin or rod 42 will extend across the upper part of the plate 36. This rod 42 is situated in alignment with the discharge opening 30, so that the operator knows that when a selected one of the openings 38-38f is placed in alignment with the index 42, this selected opening will be in register with the discharge opening 30.

It is therefore possible with the structure of the invention to control the resistance to flow of air out of the interior of the container. As a result it becomes possible for the operator to adjust the device of the invention so that it can be used for practicing in order to achieve a specific purpose such as building up of the diaphragm, facility with a particular wind instrument, or simply improvement in lung capacity.

It is also possible to use the device simply for entertainment purposes with a plurality of individuals each attempting to see how far the article can be raised while reducing the size of the openings 38a-38f placed in registry with the discharge opening 30, during successive turns at use of the device. In this way the several individuals can form contestants who operate with one or more of the devices of the invention to test their long power.

It is thus apparent from the above description that the device of the invention is highly versatile. It can be used not only for purely medical purposes but also for entertainment purposes, and in addition it is highly useful for practicing to achieve a facility with a specific musical instrument. Moreover, the device is quite simple and inexpensive, and it can be used without requiring extensive training on the part of the operator.

What is claimed is:

1. In a device for practicing breath control, a container having top and bottom walls and extending therebetween a transparent upright wall through which the interior of the container is visible, a light-weight article in said container to be raised by upwardly flowing currents, said article being visible through the transparent wall of said container, and normally located adjacent said bottom wall means at said bottom wall preventing said article from directly engaging said bottom wall, and said transparent upright wall surrounding the article with clearance, inlet means accessible to the operator and communicating with the interior of said container, through said top wall, for enabling the operator to blow into the container currents which will flow downwardly into the container past said article therein and then beneath the article to raise said article in the container, discharge means providing communication between the interior and exterior of the container for discharging fluid out of the container, and adjustable resistance means coacting with said discharge means for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container through said discharge means.

2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said discharge means and adjustable resistance means are situated at and form a part of said top wall and respectively include a pair of plates one of which is formed with an opening and the other of which is formed with a series of openings of different sizes adapted to be selectively placed in registry with said opening of said one plate, at least one of said plates being movable with respect to the other for bringing an opening of a selected size into registry with said opening of said one plate.

3. In a device for practicing breath control, a container having a transparent wall through which the interior of the container is visible, a light-weight article in said container to be raised by upwardly flowing currents, said article being visible through the transparent wall of said container, inlet means accessible to the operator and communicating with the interior of said container, for enabling the operator to blow into the container currents which will raise said article in the container, discharge means providing a communication between the interior and exterior of the container for discharging fluid out of the container, and adjustable resistance means coacting with said discharge means for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container through said discharge means, said discharge means and adjustable resistance means respectively including a pair of plates one of which is formed with an opening and the other of which is formed with a series of openings of different sizes adapted to be selectively placed in registry with said opening of said one plate, at least one of said plates being movable with respect to the other for bringing an opening of a selected size into registry with said opening of said one plate, said discharge means including an end wall of said container formed with a discharge opening, and said adjustable resistance means including a plate on said end wall formed with a plurality of openings of different sizes and selectively movable with respect to said end wall to situate a selected one of said openings of said plate in registry with said opening of said end wall.

4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said end wall has a central axis, and said plate of said adjustable resistance means being turnable about said axis with said openings of different sizes respectively being situated along a circle at a radial distance from said axis equal to the radial distance of said opening of said end wall from said axis, and said discharge opening of said end wall being at least as great as the largest of said openings of said rotary plate.

5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said end wall has a central tubular extension forming said inlet means, said plate of said adjustable resistance means being turnable about said tubular extension.

6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said tubular extension carries an index for indicating when a selected opening of said plate is in registry with said discharge opening.

7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said inlet means includes an elongated flexible tube carrying at its outer end a mouthpiece.

8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said mouthpiece is removable to be exchanged for another mouthpiece of a different type.

9. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said end wall is a top wall of said container, said container having a transparent side wall and a bottom wall provided with an interior pin extending upwardly from said bottom wall into the interior of said container, said lightweight article being a ball which rests on said pin without engaging said bottom wall, so that fluid currents blown into the container can engage beneath the ball to raise the latter. 

1. In a device for practicing breath control, a container having top and bottom walls and extending therebetween a transparent upright wall through which the interior of the container is visible, a light-weight article in said container to be raised by upwardly flowing currents, said article being visible through the transparent wall of said container, and normally located adjacent said bottom wall means at said bottom wall preventing said article from directly engaging said bottom wall, and said transparent upright wall surrounding the article with clearance, inlet means accessible to the operator and communicating with the interior of said container, through said top wall, for enabling the operator to blow into the container currents which will flow downwardly into the container past said article therein and then beneath the article to raise said article in the container, discharge means providing communication between the interior and exterior of the container for dIscharging fluid out of the container, and adjustable resistance means coacting with said discharge means for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container through said discharge means.
 2. The combination of claim 1 and wherein said discharge means and adjustable resistance means are situated at and form a part of said top wall and respectively include a pair of plates one of which is formed with an opening and the other of which is formed with a series of openings of different sizes adapted to be selectively placed in registry with said opening of said one plate, at least one of said plates being movable with respect to the other for bringing an opening of a selected size into registry with said opening of said one plate.
 3. In a device for practicing breath control, a container having a transparent wall through which the interior of the container is visible, a light-weight article in said container to be raised by upwardly flowing currents, said article being visible through the transparent wall of said container, inlet means accessible to the operator and communicating with the interior of said container, for enabling the operator to blow into the container currents which will raise said article in the container, discharge means providing a communication between the interior and exterior of the container for discharging fluid out of the container, and adjustable resistance means coacting with said discharge means for adjusting the resistance to flow of fluid out of the interior of the container through said discharge means, said discharge means and adjustable resistance means respectively including a pair of plates one of which is formed with an opening and the other of which is formed with a series of openings of different sizes adapted to be selectively placed in registry with said opening of said one plate, at least one of said plates being movable with respect to the other for bringing an opening of a selected size into registry with said opening of said one plate, said discharge means including an end wall of said container formed with a discharge opening, and said adjustable resistance means including a plate on said end wall formed with a plurality of openings of different sizes and selectively movable with respect to said end wall to situate a selected one of said openings of said plate in registry with said opening of said end wall.
 4. The combination of claim 3 and wherein said end wall has a central axis, and said plate of said adjustable resistance means being turnable about said axis with said openings of different sizes respectively being situated along a circle at a radial distance from said axis equal to the radial distance of said opening of said end wall from said axis, and said discharge opening of said end wall being at least as great as the largest of said openings of said rotary plate.
 5. The combination of claim 4 and wherein said end wall has a central tubular extension forming said inlet means, said plate of said adjustable resistance means being turnable about said tubular extension.
 6. The combination of claim 5 and wherein said tubular extension carries an index for indicating when a selected opening of said plate is in registry with said discharge opening.
 7. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said inlet means includes an elongated flexible tube carrying at its outer end a mouthpiece.
 8. The combination of claim 7 and wherein said mouthpiece is removable to be exchanged for another mouthpiece of a different type.
 9. The combination of claim 6 and wherein said end wall is a top wall of said container, said container having a transparent side wall and a bottom wall provided with an interior pin extending upwardly from said bottom wall into the interior of said container, said light-weight article being a ball which rests on said pin without engaging said bottom wall, so that fluid currents blown into the container can engage beneath the ball to raise the latter. 